Siftables - Situation Aware Cookie-Sized, Computerized Tiles

[SYNACK]

These little gizmos look like they could be really good for some scenarios in education and interfaces for the wider world. That and they look like really good fun. Well worth watching.

 

MIT grad student David Merrill demos Siftables -- cookie-sized, computerized tiles you can stack and shuffle in your hands. These future-toys can do math, play music, and talk to their friends, too. Is this the next thing in hands-on learning?

 

David Merrill demos Siftables, the smart blocks | Video on TED.com

[Maz]

Wow, they're absolutely awesome! So simple - yet so creative. I like them alot.

[EduTech]

there cool... i think they will come as a very useful tool to some primary schools.

 

So simple yet so cool!

[Hacksawbob]

I think they missed a trick keeping them 2D be nice to have something that occurred when you stack, for smalll children maybe the pitch/volume gets higher as you stack them, and a crash when they separate. How easy they are to reprogram will determine how useful they are.

[DrPerceptron]

Are the tiles generic? or do you have to buy music tiles for the music stuff etc?

[Maz]

Are the tiles generic? or do you have to buy music tiles for the music stuff etc?

 

From what I understand, but don't quote me on this - they are programmable like HacksawBob mentioned.

 

Could just be a case of "flashing new firmware" to get the different features. I want